Upon the application of the governing authority of any county, city, or other governmental agency, the department may:

(a) Aid in establishing grades and drainage systems for highways.

(b) Advise with any such authority as to the construction, improvement, or maintenance of highways.

(c) Prepare plans, specifications, or estimates for the construction, improvement, or maintenance of highways.

(d) Act as the consulting engineer for any such authority.

(e) Accept moneys from any such governmental unit for deposit in the State Treasury to the credit of any state fund which the department designates. The department shall use such moneys for the acquisition, construction, improvement, or maintenance of highways situated within such governmental unit, in accordance with the plans, specifications, and terms agreed upon. The governing authority of any such governmental unit may pay into the State Treasury, as provided in this subdivision, any moneys in its treasury or raised by the issuance of bonds, which moneys are available for use by such authority for highway purposes.

Any county, by resolution of the board of supervisors, may authorize the State Controller to deduct, from any apportionments to it from the Motor Vehicle Account in the State Transportation Fund or the Motor Vehicle Fuel Account in the Transportation Tax Fund, such amounts as the county may desire to be paid to the department for any work to be done in accordance with this subdivision. Upon such authorization, the State Controller shall transfer such moneys to such fund as the department may designate.

(f) Accept such compensation as may be agreed upon by such authority and the director for engineering services rendered to such authority.

(g) Advance moneys, where the director determines that such advance can be made without interference with state highway work, for emergency construction or maintenance work on highways by state forces, or by state contractor, in cases of disaster due to storms or floods where (1) the Governor has declared an emergency pursuant to Section 188.1, and (2) the agency or agencies having jurisdiction over such highway or highways have, by resolution or contract, agreed to reimburse the department, from succeeding Highway User Tax Account in the Transportation Tax Fund apportionments or other sources specified in such resolution or contract and available to such agency or agencies for highway purposes, for the entire cost of the work, including not to exceed 10 percent for overhead and administration. In the event such resolution or contract specifies reimbursement from future apportionments to the agency or agencies by the State Controller, the State Controller shall transfer such moneys, in such manner and over such period as may be specified in the resolution or contract, to such fund as the department may designate.

(Amended by Stats. 1980, Ch. 777, Sec. 21.)